


The Ball

by jairyn



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Anisoka, F/M, Force Bond, Snips - Freeform, otp, skyguy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-25 19:06:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18580726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jairyn/pseuds/jairyn
Summary: Padmé invites Anakin and Ahsoka along for a ball being hosted by the Naboo elite. In the middle of war they’re not really able to get away, at least not until they find out several senators have turned traitor and there might be some Separatists in attendance.But on the dance floor their mission is quickly forgotten when a very different type of war erupts; the war for love.Will Anakin and Ahsoka each find what they’re looking for and stop the senatorial conspiracy? Or will they lose the battle and be left dry?---My friend said I don't write enough happy things, so this is for all the people tired of my angst lol





	The Ball

**Author's Note:**

> Also things might be a little out of order episode-wise, but I don't care. The story still takes place season 5-ish lol

            “Are you sure this dress isn’t too much?” Ahsoka asked, trailing behind Anakin and Padmé. “It’s so heavy. How am I supposed to fight in this?”

            “We’re not here to fight, Ahsoka. We’re only to uncover who the traitors are,” Anakin chided softly, while offering the senator his arm. 

            “Besides, you look beautiful in that dress. It suits you,” Padmé said sweetly.  _Right_... She rolled her eyes. She felt like she was wearing a clone tent. The top was simple and tasteful, she could get used to it. But the skirt touched the floor and it was all she could do not to trip over it. Not to mention it had at least four layers of heavy and uncomfortable material beneath it. 

            They stopped in front of her and she glanced up to see Anakin looking over his shoulder at her. He had a weird look on his face. One that hinted that he was very much enjoying the view and she flushed furiously and looked down at her feet. Well she would look at her feet if she could see them. 

            This whole mission was completely out of her comfort zone. Though she got along fine with the senator, she’d never been to fancy parties or around a ton of rich people. The palace itself was already opulent, but fancy decorations coated it to the point it had almost become distasteful. It was loud and there was way too much to look at and absorb.

            “She’s right, you know?” Anakin said, reaching out to touch her softly on the shoulder after Padmé got distracted greeting someone else she knew. 

            Apart from the mission, seeing her master away from the order was both fascinating and confusing. He’d plastered on a cool confidence as though he mingled with the elite every day. Though she sensed different feelings from him beneath the calm. He was very much enjoying the senator’s company but also seemed oddly out of place.

            “Master Jedi,” Padmé returned and Anakin’s eyes snapped back to her. He’d tried to hide his smile. He’d tried to hide it all, but she knew him better than that. And she blew air out the side of her mouth as the beautiful senator of Naboo whisked away the only person she wanted to be with.

            She moved carefully into the ballroom, rubbing her exposed arms at the sudden chill that ran through her. Her lower half was sweaty but her upper half was freezing, and both were making her feel awkward and uncomfortable. She sidled around the outer edge of the crowd, occasionally glimpsing Anakin and Padmé across the room. She’d known for years that they were in love, but it wasn’t her desire to have to watch it. At least when Padmé wasn’t around, she got his attention. 

            She caught sight of him lifting Padmé’s elegant, jewelry laden hand and kissing it gently before pulling her into a dance. She was surprisingly grateful that several people suddenly blocked her view, though she almost wanted to see him dance. He couldn’t be very good at it, could he? He was graceful on the battlefield, but did that translate to elegant affairs like this?

            She sighed and tried to slip between the wall and a chair, trying to put her attention on their task. To find the traitors. But instead, her poofy skirt got caught on something protruding from the wall and while she tried to disentangle herself from that without tearing it, she fell backwards into the chair and knocked it and the person in it to the floor. 

            “I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed, trying to get back up but the attempt was futile at best. She couldn’t tame the skirt enough to see, let alone get it out of the way enough to get her hands back on the floor to get up. 

            “Ahsoka?” someone asked in surprise, and she tipped her head up trying to see who the voice belonged to. Nobody should have known her here. A hand appeared in front of her face and she finally got a glimpse of who it was. She blushed suddenly. 

            “You look beautiful,” Lux said softly, admiration in his voice. 

            “Uh, thank you,” she replied, taking his hand. She slipped a little on the underskirts, but he caught her in his arms.      “Um.” She let go as soon as she was sure her feet were under her again. “This dress is a bit unwieldy,” she muttered nervously. It was hard to keep eye contact with him since he was looking at her so intensely. 

 

\---

 

            Anakin smiled at his wife. He’d kind of forgotten about his mission. Having Padmé in his arms felt good again. They hadn’t seen each other for a long time, or so it seemed. Every time away was a long time to him. He didn’t know where Ahsoka went and he didn’t really care as he twirled her around the dance floor. 

            “This is nice, isn’t it?” he murmured, tracing the lines of her face with his eyes. Every day, she was more and more breathtaking. She blinked up at him with her soft brown eyes and he admired the way her long dark lashes brushed her cheeks. “The two of us, getting to do something together?”

            “Did you already forget why we’re here?” she asked.

            “Of course not,” he smirked, but it turned into a smile when she gave him a look. “But pretending to be a couple is the absolutely best way to spend an evening. You know, we should do it more often.” He leaned down preparing to meet her luscious red lips but suddenly he tasted fabric instead.

            “Not here,” she hissed, and he stared at her gloved hand in confusion and frustration, as though glaring at the hand itself would make it go away. “Someone could see us!”

            “But we’re pretending, so it’s the perfect excuse,” he replied with a pout. And what better way to get to be a couple out in public while having the perfect excuse if someone questions it?” He dropped his shoulders a bit in disappointment at the realization that Padmé was hardly convinced. “Besides, if we don’t kiss but are supposed to be a couple, don’t you think that would be more suspicious?” He felt suddenly grumpy. Here was the perfect opportunity to have what could almost pass for a normal life, just the two of them, free to hold each other without a care in the world, and Padmé still pushed him away.

            “What about your padawan? Will she believe you’re just pretending? What if she tells the council?”

            “Oh, Ahsoka won’t tell anyone,” he replied indignantly. He’d forgotten about Ahsoka, but surely he was right about that. She wouldn’t tell on them, would she?

            Padmé turned her head, catching sight of something on the far side of the room. “Well she’d have to see it first, but she might be a bit too distracted for that.” He followed her eyes but didn’t immediately see what she was looking at.

            “What do you mean, distracted?” he asked, straining to see, but not seeing much of anything. He could just barely make out the top of her horns, but there were too many people in the way to see much else. “She’s never distracted. That’s why I’m not worried about focusing on you instead of the mission.”

            Padmé looked back at him and he smiled at her, though she didn’t return it. “Clearly you underestimate the power of young love.”

            “Love, what love?” he said, feeling suddenly annoyed. Ahsoka wouldn’t know anyone here, these people were way out of her element. How could she have fallen in love already? They’d been here maybe five minutes. He was about to argue when he froze mid-turn. Straight over her head, the crowd all seemed to part at once. 

            There was Ahsoka, looking suddenly dazzling under the glittery lights of the ballroom chandeliers. In front of her was a young man, hardly older than her, who was well dressed and bowing before her. He felt a sudden rush of something he couldn’t quite put words to as the boy stepped forward and slid one hand around her waist, brushing across the bare skin of her midriff, then intertwined the fingers of his other hand with hers. 

            She looked flushed and excited and oblivious to everything else and he had half a mind to march over there to remind her about the mission. How dare she get distracted by Bonteri? And how dare he touch her. 

            “Excuse me a moment, Padmé. I have to go have a word with my padawan,” he muttered in aggravation and pushed his way towards them.

 

\---

 

            “May I cut in?” She looked up in surprise as Anakin didn’t even wait for an answer. He bowed quickly, using his butt to push Lux away from her. He took her left hand, put his other around her waist and twirled her away from him before she could protest. She tried to catch Lux’s eye over his shoulders to mouth an apology to him, but her master was very purposefully getting in the way. 

            “What are you doing?” she asked in confusion, slowly feeling the heat rise in her at the way his hand felt on her side. 

            “Have you already forgotten about the mission?” he replied in a semi-condescending tone. 

            “Of course not,” she said quickly. “But we’re supposed to be blending in, aren’t we? If I declined his offer to dance, wouldn’t I look more suspicious?”

            “We’re not here to have fun, Ahsoka,” he replied, giving her an annoyed look.

            “Oh really?” she huffed. “You looked like you were having plenty of fun with the Senator.”

            “That’s different.”

            “How so?”

            “Well for one thing, I’m an adult and...”

            “Oh yeah? Well act like one,” she interrupted. “You seem to have forgotten, master, that Lux’s family were Separatists.”

            “All the more reason to stay away from him.”

            “But if he was one, he might know if others are here,” she said slowly, hoping something would get through his thick head. “So if I stay close to him, I might be able to complete the mission,  _you_  seem to have forgotten about while dancing with the senator.”

            She pulled away the moment the music switched to a slower melody, no longer wanting to be so close to him. Normally she’d have given pretty much anything to dance with him, but right now she was too frustrated with his implication that  _she_  was the one distracted when he’d hardly taken his eyes off the senator since they’d arrived.

            Also, if she was going to be distracted by anything tonight, it would be the way he felt so close against her as they’d moved across the dance floor. Despite their argument, she hadn’t been able to ignore the way it had felt as though she was floating. Or the tingly warmth that had spread across her skin from his hand pressed against her. Or the way he’s smelled...

            “Just no dancing with Bon...” he trailed off and she glanced up to see what had distracted him. “For kriff’s sake,” he muttered angrily and disappeared through the crowd. She was hardly the one distracted at all. 

            Apparently, none of them were supposed to have fun tonight. She blew air out the side of her mouth as she watched him shove his way between Padmé and another man she didn’t recognize. Did he not understand how infuriating he was sometimes?

            She didn’t say anything to Lux when she passed him, heading out into the hall to get some fresh air and away from the crowd. She needed to cool down a bit. He hadn’t interrupted her dance with Lux to remind her about the mission, he’d barged in because he was jealous. She’d felt it streaking through him the moment he’d taken her in his arms and whirled them away. But then to see him immediately turn around and go be jealous over Padmé hurt a lot more than she expected. He either didn’t know what he wanted, or he wanted them both. And that both excited and confused her.

 

\---

 

            “What makes you think you can dance with her?” he demanded the moment he was within earshot.

            “She was unattended, and no woman this beautiful should ever be left without attention,” Clovis replied, taking Padmé’s hand in his and kissing it. He felt the anger boiling in him.

            “How dare you touch her!” He pulled him away from his wife and Clovis spun like he was about to throw a punch, but Anakin ducked under it and jerked his arm around behind him before he could react.

            “What the hell is wrong with you, man?” Clovis said with a grimace and he actually smiled at the thought of him in pain.

            “Let go of him,” Padmé hissed, sounding worried as she glanced around.

            “He has some nerve showing up here after last time,” he replied indignantly, ignoring the way the man squirmed in front of him.

            “I don’t care about that right now,” his wife said. “But let him go. It was just a dance and you’re making a scene!” He glanced around realizing that people nearest to them were in fact eying them suspiciously, and reluctantly he let go. 

            “Fine, but why the kriff do you want to dance with him?” he complained.

            “Because he asked nicely,” she said in annoyance. “Now go find something to do for awhile.” And with that, she took Clovis by the hand and led him to the middle of the dance floor. He felt his fingers tighten in a fist. 

            Why would Padmé rather be with Clovis? Why would she want him to even touch her after trying to poison her last time? If he were near a wall, he would have punched it. He didn’t care about anything at the moment except really wanting to snap that pompous fool’s neck. 

            He got such little time with his wife as it was, then this slimo had to sweep her away. And the worst part? She didn’t seem to care nearly as much that they weren’t spending the evening together. 

            He took a deep breath and closed his eyes trying to calm down but feeling way too many waves of anger to do so at the moment. And finally, he turned and headed out of the ballroom.

            He looked up in surprise when he saw Ahsoka coming down the stairs at the end of the hallway. She’d changed her dress to something much less,  _er_... fluffy. He felt something stir deep inside as he saw the fabric drape down her body. He lost his train of thought as she sat down at the bottom, revealing her leg all the way up to her thigh. When had she grown up so much? Had this happened tonight or had he just not noticed before?

            He was moving towards her without his control and he greeted her with a smile when she glanced up at him. “You changed,” he said, his voice suddenly hoarse.

            “Yeah,” she said softly. “Lux’s aunt took pity on me not being able to move around in the other one and offered me another outfit.” She stood up and spun around. “I’m not sure if it really fits me though. It feels too mature.”

            “It looks beautiful on you,” he breathed.

            “You think so?” she asked nervously.

            “Yeah,” he said, his eyes sliding down her before he could stop himself. “The other one was cute but this one is just,  _er_...” he looked away, suddenly embarrassed. “Is it more comfortable?”

            “Much better,” she replied, sitting back down on the steps. “I don’t have to worry about knocking people over every time I move.” He chuckled softly and sat down next to her, trying to resist the urge to reach out and touch her because that was suddenly all he wanted to do. “What happened to the senator?”

            His smile faded as he remembered his anger. “She’s dancing with Clovis,” he said with disgust, unable to hide it as well as he wanted to.

            “Who is that?”

            “An old boyfriend of hers.” He brought his hands together and leaned down on his knees.

            “Oh,” Ahsoka whispered. “But surely she doesn’t still have feelings for him?”

            He glanced to the side and noticed that Ahsoka was chewing on her lip and picking at her fingernails like they were the most interesting thing at the moment. She often did that when she was prying for information and knew she shouldn’t. She didn’t want to look too interested, he supposed. 

            “She claims she doesn’t, but that’s not what it feels like sometimes,” he sighed. He shouldn’t be saying anything like this to her but he kind of wanted to just let it out. 

            “I know the Jedi teach that attachments are wrong, but sometimes when I’m around certain people, I feel things I know I shouldn’t. But if it’s so wrong, why does it feel good?” she asked nervously. 

            “It’s not feeling it that’s wrong,” he said. “It’s when it becomes a distraction.”

            “Like you with the senator?” She clapped her hands over her mouth and shifted a bit so she could scoot further away. He should be mad at her for even going there but instead he’d gotten distracted by the rush of emptiness he’d felt when she’d moved. 

            “Yeah,” he whispered, staring down at the floor. “Like me with the senator. And you and with Bonteri.”

            “I admit,” she said softly. “Lux can be a little distracting, but he’s just a friend.”

            “Oh?” he asked in mock surprise. “The way you were looking at him was more than friendly.” She pouted at him and he laughed. 

            “What about you?” She pushed him. “You were way more than friendly.”

            “Well I was trying to be,” he shrugged. “But she wasn’t having it.” He tightened his fist again. “What the kriff does she even see in that slimo?”

            “Maybe he’s the type of person she’s used to being around,” she said, shifting again. He glanced at her, his eyes lingering where they shouldn’t for a couple seconds too long before he managed to look away again. He didn’t like noticing how much she’d grown up, because this dress wasn’t hiding it and he was having a hard time thinking about anything else now. Even his anger at Clovis was overshadowed by the warmth spreading through him.

            “I’m way better than him,” he said indignantly, finally standing up to distract himself from the weird feelings pumping through him now.

            “Yeah, you are.” He froze and looked at her. She’d said it softly but based on her somewhat whimsical expression, he could only guess she hadn’t thought she’d said it out loud. She suddenly looked up and her eyes widened and her montral stripes brightened as vividly blue as her eyes.

 

\---

 

            She looked around trying to find a way to flee. She couldn’t believe she’d said that outloud. But for a moment she’d forgotten herself. What would he think of her now? Before she could run away, he reached out his hand to her.

            “Come on,” he said. She stared at his hand for a moment and then looked back up at his face. He was looking at her in a way she couldn’t quite describe. It was sort of like the way Lux looked at her only deeper. She couldn’t even fathom what it meant, but it made her feel things she knew she shouldn’t. And if that was the case, it meant he must be feeling the same things.

            She hesitantly reached out and took his hand. “Where are we going?” she asked as he gently helped her to her feet. 

            “Well, I thought since I interrupted your dance earlier, I could give you a proper one,” he threw over his shoulder at her as he led her back into the ballroom.

            “It’s okay, I don’t know how to dance anyways. So, you probably saved me from embarrassment.” She rolled her eyes. It was true. The only reason she’d stayed upright when Anakin had spun her around was because he was so tall she’d been forced to stay on her toes. Which had lifted the dress enough off the ground she hadn’t tripped over it. The same could probably not be said with Lux. As annoyed as she’d been when Anakin had interrupted, she’d actually secretly been grateful. 

            “Well then I’ll teach you,” he smiled as he stopped in the middle of the dance floor and spun around to face her. 

            “How do you know how to dance?” she asked.

            She saw a shadow cross his features and she knew instantly she’d crossed into forbidden territory. As it was, she was amazed he’d opened up at all out there on the stairwell. She was about to change the subject back to dancing when he dropped his chin a bit.

            “My mother,” he whispered. “Sometimes at night, after we finished our work for the day, she’d open the window so we could hear the band down the street at the cantina. Then she’d take my hands and we’d dance around the house.”

            Before she could stop herself, she threw her arms around his waist in a hug. She’d felt him tense, and she half expected him to pull away, but then to her surprise, he didn’t. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her up against him. 

            “I’m sorry about your mother,” she breathed. “But I’m glad you have memories of her.” She shouldn’t cry right now, it wasn’t even her own pain she wanted to let out. She wanted to mourn for her own mother, the one she’d never known. She wanted to complain about the injustice of never knowing her family, of not remembering anything. But right now, she mourned only for him, knowing in the deepest part of her soul that the loss of his mother was what pained him the most. 

            “Uh, Snips,” he choked a few minutes later and she instantly straightened.

            “Sorry.” She brushed herself off. “You were going to teach me how to dance.” She looked up expectantly, trying to push away the rush of emotion she’d just felt crash through her. In a way, it felt like they’d taken a leap tonight, letting each other into places previously unknown. But she also knew with Anakin, she should never push her luck; he could close down as quickly as it had spilled out and that was the last thing she wanted. No more three steps backwards every time they made one small step forwards. “Okay, so where do I put my hands?” 

            His eyes looked watery as though it was taking everything he had at the moment to hold it in and she felt the guilt creep up in her throat. She shouldn’t have reacted like that, she’d only made it worse. He tipped his head to the side looking at her in a way that made her a little bit uncomfortable, but worse, he said nothing, so she didn’t know how to respond.

            “Why did you hug me like that?” he asked finally, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Should she risk telling him the truth? Or would that make it worse?

            “I felt your pain,” she started vaguely. “And I guess... I wanted to take it from you.” She looked down at her feet unsure if she was making any sense. “When you hurt, I hurt. Even if I don’t know why you’re hurting, or you won’t tell me... I still feel it.” She risked a quick glance at his face and then looked back at the floor. “I  _always_  feel it,” she whispered. “And I want to take it away, or help you carry it. Or something. But you never let me in.” 

            She ran past him, out of the ballroom and onto the balcony, into the cool night air. She dropped down onto a bench, shivering a bit and trying not to cry. What would he think of her now? Was it so wrong to want to help him? She was his student, not an equal, why would he ever share his pain with her? And why did she even want him to? There was enough pain out there, just being in the middle of a war, why did she want to take more?

            She looked up when he stopped in front of her, chewing on her lip. “You always feel it? Even when I’m trying to hide it?” he asked.

            “Yes.”

            “What do you feel right now?”

            She studied his face, reading his eyes like one might a manuscript. “Loss, mourning, jealousy,” she said quickly and then looked away.

            “Try again,” he whispered.

            Her eyes flitted back to his as he pulled her to her feet. He slid one hand up from her hip to her ribs, pulling her closer. Then he worked the fingers of her left hand apart, so he could intertwine his mechanical ones with hers. She felt his fingers on the bare skin of her back, pressed in as though holding her in place. She set her right hand on his shoulder and looked up at him.

            There was the look again. It wasn’t exactly a smile, or happy even, but there was an intensity to it that heated her veins. She blinked and tried to look away, but her eyes snapped back to his as they started moving. She lost all sense of time and space for a few minutes as she became aware only of his body up against hers.

            “Warm,” she breathed finally. “I’m feeling warm.” _And a little bit faint,_  but she didn’t want to admit that. “I feel longing; like you want something you can’t have.” She met his eyes again and despite being blue, looked full of fire. “And fear. So much fear. The fear of losing people you love. The fear of letting them down. The fear of not being good enough.” His fingers tightened on her and she bit her lip nervously, unsure how far she should go with this. He seemed to want her to read him but didn’t like that she could. 

            She closed her eyes and let him lead the dance, moving with him as though they were completely in sync and she didn’t even have to try. She felt everything, every time his hand tightened on hers, or every time he moved the palm against her back as though indicating which way she should turn or go. She felt every step through the force, anticipating where to put her feet in response to match or mirror him. And she breathed all of him in as they twirled around to music she could hardly hear. 

            For the longest time it felt like just the two of them and the floor beneath them. Maybe even the vast expanse of space all around them. If she didn’t know any better, she’d almost believe they were dancing through the stars themselves. She didn’t just hear his heartbeat, she felt it. And it drowned out the sound of her own. Though she realized after awhile that was actually because hers was beating in time with his. Was that even possible? Did it mean anything? She couldn’t be sure anymore. 

 

\---

 

            He watched her in strange fascination, like he’d never really seen her before. The thought that she could read him so easily unnerved him, but also that she felt his pain even when he thought he’d been hiding it. He’d known some would trickle through, Ahsoka wasn’t dense like so many others and now that he thought about it, she’d always been more in tune with him than even Obi Wan was. 

            But now as he felt her body pressed against him as they glided around in a silent dance, she moved right in step without any instructions despite minutes ago claiming she couldn’t dance... he felt something he couldn’t fully explain. Or worse, scared to admit to himself. Earlier in the night he’d been so happy to have Padmé back in his arms, but Padmé didn’t feel the way Ahsoka did. 

            Before he could change his mind, he slid his hand up her bare back pulling her closer. Then he leaned his cheek against her lekku as they swayed in silence to the trickle of music exiting the ballroom. The way she’d hugged him when he mentioned his mother felt like she truly had known so much more of his pain than he’d realized. How she’d felt his longing and his fear. Maybe he was an open book to her. Or maybe, he just didn’t appreciate her enough. 

            Thinking about it now made him realize just how many times she’d been the one there through the worst bursts of pain. How she’d show up out of nowhere like she’d sensed it from the other side of the ship. How many times she’d make jokes or told stories to put his mind on something else. None of it felt accidental anymore. 

            “Ahsoka,” he breathed.

            “Shh,” she whispered, and he stared at her in surprise but then he heard it. She’d stopped moving, though she hadn’t pulled away. Her eyes were still closed, but he recognized her concentration. Then he felt her reach out with the force, not towards him but away, tingling his senses on the way by. He closed his eyes to listen too. 

            Several people were talking down below them, not very far away, but clearly by their discussion, they assumed no one could hear them. He heard mention of Dooku, and the CIS. He heard senators and some of their plans.

            He reluctantly let go of Ahsoka in order to creep towards the edge of the balcony, for a glimpse of who the people talking were. She was by his side a second later as they both peered into the gardens. She could see better than him, so he waited until her eyes snapped to movement before he pulled the monoculars out of his pocket and switched it to night vision. 

            Admittedly he’d hoped one of them was Clovis, so he had a good excuse to take Padmé out of his arms. Though when Ahsoka shifted slightly and brushed up against him, he forgot about them again. “Do you recognize them?” she whispered.

            “Only one of them,” he replied as quietly as he could. 

            She pulled out from who knew where, a small datapad and instructed it to identify them both. When it had, she nodded, and he gestured that they should head back inside. 

            They slipped through the doors into the too bright ballroom and he blinked a few minutes until he could see again. “There you are,” Padmé appeared in front of him as though she’d materialized out of thin air. “Where have you been?”

            He glanced at Ahsoka and she shrugged. Then he watched her disappear into the crowd with a sudden rush of disappointment. He wasn’t sure what to think right now, but despite earlier in the evening only wanting Padmé, he now would rather be with Ahsoka. He thought about what she’d said about maybe the reason Padmé liked Clovis was because he was the type of person she was used to being around. He looked around the ballroom at the elegant affair, all the people dressed in too fancy of clothes, used to fineries he still couldn’t comprehend. And he wondered if maybe that’s why he suddenly felt so pulled by Ahsoka. He didn’t really fit in Padmé’s world, and even though he’d desperately tried to deny that fact, the truth hit him like a thermal detonator.

            If he had a type, Ahsoka was it. Though younger than him, she had a maturity to her that didn’t completely close out all the fun. She understood things about him, made even clearer this evening, that he suddenly doubted Padmé knew or even cared to know. She sought him out when everybody else seemed to want nothing to do with him. And the way she’d felt... there in his arms... it was something he’d never quite felt before. When Padmé was in his arms, it felt like a victory, like he’d conquered some impossible feat. But the victory was often soured by the constant feeling that he wouldn’t always be victorious. With Ahsoka it had felt as though there was nowhere else she’d rather be than right there. That he’d never have to fight for her the same way because she wanted it too. 

            “Sorry Padmé, but I have a mission to finish,” he said. “It looks like Clovis needs a dance partner anyways. I’ll catch up with you later.” He kissed her quickly on the cheek before she could protest and went after Ahsoka. 

 

\---

 

            She was still talking to the council when Anakin joined her in the cockpit of the Twilight. She’d passed on what they’d learned, they’d asked them both some questions and then they were instructed to return to Coruscant. 

            She sat back against the seat and stared out the window for a moment. So much had happened tonight, and it wasn’t even the thoughts of the mission that were flooding her brain. Something had changed between her and Anakin, something big. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing yet, mainly because she had no idea how he felt about it. She was grateful, no matter what though, that he’d opened up to her a bit. Of all places, she’d never have imagined it would take a ball to do it. 

            She glanced to the side. He seemed deep in thought, staring absentmindedly ahead. But he also seemed somewhat relaxed, and well... lighter than normal. She really wanted to know what he was thinking right now. But weirdly, she also had the strongest urge to push her luck. She knew better of course, but oh she wanted to. 

            She’d never been a risk taker, well not off the battlefield, but if there was one thing she’d risk right now, it was a kiss. And somehow the idea was so much more exciting because the senator was still nearby. It was a horrible thought, and she knew better than to act on it, but the longer she stared at the side of his face, the harder it was to resist. 

            He had held her so close, so nice... it had to mean something, right? Unless all of it was just part of dancing and she didn’t understand in her inexperience. But the way he’d looked at her, like he wanted her... the way he’d seemed to have completely forgotten about Padmé for awhile... was it possible he might finally consider her an option? Or rather... the option?

            She took a deep breath, trying to fight the rising need. It was too much, too fast. He was adventurous too, but maybe not in love. Did he have any clue how much she wanted him? What if she never told him?  _Oh forget it,_  she couldn’t stand it anymore. She rose as though to head into the back to change but he looked up at her and caught her arm.

            She froze the instant his fingers made contact with her skin. “Ahsoka,” he whispered, as though he wanted desperately to continue what he’d been about to say earlier before she’d heard the two senators talking. “About tonight...”

            She was instantly filled with dread. He was going to tell her it meant nothing, wasn’t he? He was going to regret it. She panicked, not wanting to hear those words. She was about to move forward, shrugging out of his grip but the bottom part of her slinky dress must have wrapped around her foot because the moment she moved, she lost her footing and landed right in his lap. 

            She stared up at him wide eyed, wanting nothing more than to run away, she felt so stupid. Before she managed it however, he ran his fingers up her back sending spine tingling shockwaves pulsing through her. Acting purely on instinct and a sudden rush of adrenaline, she grabbed his face in her hands and pulled herself up to his lips. 

            He’d looked momentarily startled but to her relief he relaxed into it, pulling her closer still. She wanted to taste everything, it felt so good. Nothing at all like the one Lux had planted on her a year or two earlier. This one felt perfect and natural and oh, so right. And this was exactly what the order forbade. 

            She pulled away, feeling suddenly unsure about what they were doing and if he even wanted it or was caught up in the moment. It took him a second to realize that she wasn’t still there and she laughed at his puckered lips.

            “Hey, what gives?” he said, opening his eyes finally. 

            “Uh,” she said nervously. “I thought maybe it was an accident.”

            “You accidentally pulled me, quite aggressively, into a kiss?” he smirked. 

            “Yes.” She blushed. 

            “Was it also an accident that you fell into my lap?”

            “That was definitely an accident,” she tried her best to sound convincing, and innocent.

            “Well in that case...” She blinked in surprise when he pulled her forward, so they could kiss again. “This is an accident too.” He met her lips. It was unlike anything she’d ever known. There was need and longing, but respect and sweetness. He parted her mouth with his tongue, slipping in to explore it all. She melted at the way he felt there, eager to show him this wasn’t a mistake. She ran her fingers through his hair and down his cheek, gripping his shoulders both for balance and in excitement.

            “That was some accident,” she said breathlessly, when they finally came up for some air.

            “These are the kind that I wouldn’t mind happening more often.”

            “Oh really?” she couldn’t help the teasing tone of her voice. She had the sudden urge to turn this into a game. Because that’s what they did, and she wanted his attention for just a little while longer. 

            She leapt to her feet, pulling her dress up enough to run. “Better catch me then.” She really was hoping she wasn’t making a mistake running away, but she was pretty sure the look in his eyes meant he’d be right behind her. 

            Sure enough, she heard him jump up and his footsteps right behind her. She ran into the quarters and force pulled a pillow to her hand and spun around, socking him directly in the face. 

            He staggered in surprise and landed on his butt laughing. He pulled the other pillow to his hand and the next thing she knew they were having an all-out war with the pillows. 

            She couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard him laugh like this and the longer it went on, the happier she felt. Maybe they just needed time to let down, with the war and everything, they never got enough of it. 

            After a few minutes of furious swinging, he made it through her defenses and tackled her on the bed. He’d dropped his ammo but pinned her down and started tickling her. She squirmed in laughter until she was wheezing, trying to hit him with the pillow but completely failing to. His hair was a wild mess, but she loved it that way. 

            He finally took mercy on her when she could no longer breathe and dropped his hands, sitting back but still holding her down with his body. She curled her lips as she studied him, hoping he wasn’t about to say something along the lines of regretting it. 

            He glanced at her face and finally smiled, and she tried to relax a little. “Thank you,” he said finally.

            “For what?” she asked in surprise.

            “For showing me a truth I’d been too blind to see.” She furrowed her brow in confusion. “That what I always wanted, I have, right in front of me.” He leaned down and kissed her softly on the cheek and then he met her lips again.       “What do you feel now?”

            “Complete.”

            He smiled at her and then rolled off her and cuddled in. She stared at the top bunk feeling heated and happy. And then finally drifted off in pure contentment.


End file.
